The caverna independent school district in partnership with the cave city police, bluegrass counseling, and boys and girls club have developed the project building safer spaces focused on improving…

The caverna independent school district in partnership with the cave city police, bluegrass counseling, and boys and girls club have developed the project building safer spaces focused on improving the implementation of best safety practices for students located in cave city, barren county and horse cave, hart county. Hart county is a distressed county in the appalachian regional commission. The median household income for parents in the district is $26,841, with 46.4% of families below the poverty level. Our main goal is to provide a secure environment for students. Students cannot learn in schools if they do not feel safe. Our theory of action with intended outcomes: if the caverna independent school district, (objective 1- engages students in multi-tiered interventions for academics and mental health), (objective 2- promotes positive behavior supports), (objective 3- invests in physical security measures), and (objective 4- establishes partnerships between school staff, students, families, and the community including law enforcement and emergency management, then we will reduce the risk of school violence, establish a positive culture and climate, improve teaching and learning, promote safe and healthy students, and improve the quality of life in our community. If awarded, this project will continue our focus on implementing violence intervention and mental health strategies. This project will be the next big step in creating a safe, positive climate by providing the physical equipment needed to ensure our buildings are safe spaces through surveillance, deterrents, and quick communication systems. With this project, the district will install bullet-resistant film on windows and glass doors, surveillance systems, exterior motion sensing lighting, push button quick alert system, an advanced communication system, and metal detecting technology. Our priority is to prevent school violence by being proactive in our mental health interventions and ensuring our facilities are equipped with the equipment needed to decrease the likelihood of a breach and increase our response in the event of an emergency. We have multiple incidents that have been assessed and document the need for improvement. One incident involved an adult trying to enter our elementary with a switchblade knife. The individual was at a back entry point without a surveillance camera. When staff noticed the individual trying to gain access, the staff member did not have a quick way to notify the administration or SRO. Another incident assessment revealed the lack of surveillance at the side entrance of our high school. Staff was not alerted to a student fight that later led to a social media school threat and our threat assessment protocol for a possible violent school attack had to be initiated. This may have been avoided if the administration and SRO were aware of this physical aggression and could have applied conflict resolution strategies and involved our mental health team. We want our families to trust that we are doing everything possible to create safe spaces, and we want our students to feel safe in our facilities. This is a priority for our district, our communities, and all of our stakeholders.